Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1887-11-28
Rescue of the Lost Maiden.

eS even In the annals of fiction
Without following the captains or
der, the outline of the story is here
given.
Hans, a main character in it, was
| born in a humble condition in Sweden.
Being bright, active, affectionate
lad, his proud and indulgent parents
intended to aid him to secure an ed
ucation. At the country school,
where he made rapid progress, he
formed a more intimate acquaintance
with Fleda, the daughter of a neigh
bor, a beautiful girl with ruddy
cheeks, blue eyes and fiaxen hair
| Often in each others society at their
homes and IN school, they grew so
gradually into sympathy and affeea
tion as hardly to know where or how
their attachment commenced. A
rude and unexpected event revealed
the love and tenderness of their de-
vOtiOn to each other. The removal
of her family to Moscow, took Fleda
| quite beyond the reach of her young
admIrer. For a season, the lovers,
now we'll along in their teens, kept
! up a knowledge Of each other. At
length the family made another
move to Odessa, Oh the Black sea,
where all trace of them was lost by
Hans. The head of the house, hon
ored by Russian government, accu-
mulatsd wealth, and was appointed
consul Of Odessa. In their new stu
alton Fleda enjoyed rare opportuni
ties for education, which were i'm
proved to the utmost, land she became
a fine scholar, especially in the Ian
guages, several of which she wtote
and spoke with ease-an accomplish
ment which proved available to her
father in his relations with different
nations.
But of the good fortune of Fleda
after leaving Moscow, Hans knew
nothing. No word came back. But
for a long time he thought of the
faxen-haired maiden by day, and at
night dreamed of her return to greet
him and renew her assurances of in
terest and attachment. Alas 1t
was a dream. To him she could
henceforth be only a memory; but
memory long as real and impress
i've as life itself. In fadeless vision
her form and features fioated in the
atmosphere of his imagination, long
after her name ceased to be spoken
in the houorhUtd.
A length it was noticed that Hans
interest in study and daily duty grew
less and less intense. The body was
in Sweden, the heart in the distant
east. In these pensive and dreamy
hours, the old viking blood began to
stir in his veins. Nothing but the
open sea could allay the unrest of his
spirit, and he, like so many of his
ancestors, hastened away to sea. We
pass over years. A noble man, true
to duty, and with growing skill in
sea-craft, Hans rose in the service,
waking up one morning to find him
self captain.
In an early voyage to the Medlt-
erranean, he could not deny himself
the pleasure of visiting Odessa, to
obtain, if possible, some trace of the
missing family, and especially of the
maiden. Though the probabilities
were all against success, the vision
beckoned him on. Though the en-
chanted life had probably vanished
from earth OF been devoted to anoth-
er, he could not restrain his longings
to see once more, or to obtain trace
of, an object so dear to him. Once
| in Odessa, he searched in vain. No
one had heard the name. But he did
mot despair. Love knows no defeat.
On touching at length at the consul
ate, he found those who had known
the consul but he had gone six
wears before to Alexandria in Egypt.
Though the probabilities of finding
him grew less, Hans determined to
renew the search for the consul; and
he was finally successful in ascertain
ing that he had established himself
as a corn merchant in Alexandria
In prosecuting his business, he often
passed into the less secure parts of
the country, invariably accompanied
by his daughter. On one of these
mercantile rounds, they were encoun-
tered by a band of Arabs the men
in the party were slain, and the Wo-
men divided among the marauders.
| The sale of FIeda to a military chief
was the last ascertainable trace of
one toward whom the Swedish cap
tain had turned so many longing
| looks and desires.
Though hope of again meeting the
object of his affection had died out
of the heart, no new Fleda in the
lapse of years rekindled- his passion.
He went and returned each time a
bachelor.
In later years, while on a voyage
to the Mediterranean, a curious incl
dent happened at Constantinople.
Wuile the ship was delayed in the
harbor, he spent some days at no.
tel in the city with Captain Samuels,
above noticed. In passing to and
from their ships, they took a street
on which was palace of one of the
pashas. The dead walls of the pal
ace, some twenty feet high, allowed